Promise me
by scarletchidori
Summary: Roy dies to protect Riza. Riza tries to accept his death and go on with her life because she promised to Roy she would do so before he died. (Day 1 of the Royai week: Picture prompt)


"_Tell us why, given Life, we are meant to die, helpless in our cries?"_  
\- Answer (Final Fantasy XIV)

I keep staring at this tombstone. I can't believe this happened.

I close my eyes and then open them again like that's gonna change anything about all of this. Like opening them again will allow me to see another name on that piece of stone that now holds his memory forever. Roy Mustang died to protect me from danger. We were fighting, I wasn't paying attention to the surrounding enemies, only to those who tried to hurt him, but I didn't pay attention to that only man who tried to _hurt me._

"_Don't go where I can't follow", I whisper to him while I keep my hand on his wound "You're gonna be fine, don't worry"._

"_Are you hurt?", he asks in a low voice  
_"_Yeah-yeah, I'm fine", I say "I'm fine- but you…"  
_"_Don't worry about me, Riza"._

"_Don't leave me, please", I whisper in his ear "Please don't leave me alone"_

"_I'm not going anywhere"_

"_Roy I-"  
_"_Don't", he replies "Don't feel guilty about this. We protected each other like we always do, don't you dare feel guilty"  
_"_Save your strength, Roy", I say "Save every bit of strength you have"._

"_If I'm gonna… die…"  
_"_Don't even think about it", I say with anguish "You're gonna make it"_

"_Please live", he begs "Even if this day will be my last, please keep going on. Keep living and fighting. I'm sure we will meet each other again. Promise me, Riza. Promise me now"._

"_Save your strength"._

"_Promise me".  
_"_I- promise", I say cupping his face with my free hand "I promise, Roy"_

Roy died while the doctors were trying to save him. He lost too much blood and I knew that the moment he was bleeding and my hands were slowly becoming red with it. Maes told me more than once that Roy had died and for all those times I thought he was joking, but the look in his eyes told another story. Roy died because of me. I should be the one rotting underground not him. The rain is pouring on me all I can think of is how useless I am. I have nothing left to give or to do.

All my life since he became my father's apprentice Roy became my rock, the person I could lean on, he almost became the mirror of my soul. His dreams became my dreams, his ambitions were what drove me to join the military both to protect him and help him to achieve his goals and now because of me he will never see his dreams come true, he will never see the world change for the better. All he ever saw was fire and the injustice of that Ishval war that lead to nothing… only more pain, more trauma, more hate from those who managed to survive those days full of flames and bullets.

"Riza?"

"Maes?", I ask looking up to him.

"It's raining, you will catch something", he says "You should go home".

"No".  
"Riza, please".

"I want to stay with him"

"I understand", he nods "At least take this"

I can't find the strength to hold the umbrella he's giving me.  
"Riza, please", he says.

"I loved him", I admit to Maes.

"I- I know", he nods "I've always known you were in love with him"

"And… I've never said anything, not even once. It was… forbidden, we would never have what you have with your wife, so I thought that it was better for him to never know about my feelings"

"Riza-"

I interrupt him "Not even while he was dying, I said something. I should have told him that I love him with everything I had"

"He knew", he whispers "And he loved you too… with everything he had"

"Leave me alone, please"  
"I'm gonna leave this here", he says closing the umbrella "Use it".

When I'm alone again I get up and I sit next to his grave, caressing his name with my fingers. All this years, and we've never said anything to each other, never once I told him I loved him as a friend or even told him how much he meant to me. I assumed he already knew and besides, I thought to have all the time in the world to say those things to him but now… Roy is dead.

I loved him

He loved me.  
That should help me to keep going until the day I die and I will reunite with him.


End file.
